Parnters in Love
by Sinistrae
Summary: I don't mean that the partners are actually in love with each other -shivers- Anyway, when Kaoru and Yumi are kidnapped, Kenshin and Shishio must team up if they want to save their women. Please R & R!
1. Prologue

Nobuhiro Watsuki owns Rurouni Kenshin...sadly, I do not *sigh* Anyway, on with the story!  
  
~THOUGHTS~ I can't make it italic  
  
"Mmph..." A shifting of blankets as Kaoru arose from her futon, stretching out. She stole quietly into the hallway, and glanced through the door into Yahiko's room, where he slept soundly, and then into Kenshin's, who was breathing rather quickly to be sleeping. She smiled and stole past quickly, hoping he didn't notice her peeking. A small smile curled on his lips. Kaoru walked into the kitchen and got herself a small glass of water, when she noticed a small movement outside in the snow. ~Oh...I wonder if that's a kitten or dog stuck in the cold. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let it in for one night...~ thought Kaoru as she walked outside, her cup still in her hands. "Puppy? Kitty?" she called softly into the night. Kenshin could hear her from where he now stood in the hall, and smiled at her thoughtfulness. He then yawned and retreated back into his room, where he could not longer make out Kaoru's soft voice. ~Oh, Miss Kaoru, if only I could just say those words to you...I suppose we can last a little longer...perhaps a new day will bring me new courage,~ thought Kenshin to himself as he laid back down. Kaoru was walking around outside, checking behind trees and around corners. At last, she found a tiny off-white kitten, which mewed piteously as she approached. "Oh you poor thing!" cried Kaoru, who stooped to pick it up. It scurried away from her. "Kitten! I am only trying to help!" called Kaoru, trotting after it. The kitten led her a ways from the dojo in its attempt to escape; it was quite skittish. At last, Kaoru managed to scoop the shivering kitten in her arms. The kitten found surprising warmth, and immediately began to purr. "See, silly? I'm not so bad," said Kaoru, scratching the kitten behind the ears . Suddenly, there was a movement behind Kaoru. "Kenshin?" she whispered. It would not be unlike him to follow her out to make sure she was all right. However, it was not Kenshin who stood there. "Hey, who're you!" Kaoru cried, but the figure reached its arms out and snatched her up, covering her mouth as it did so. Kaoru tried to cry out as the kitten dashed from her arms and left surprisingly deep scratches on her arms, and ran back to the dojo. ~Oh no...Kenshin, help me!~ thought Kaoru as she was carried off into the darkness at lightning speed. Kenshin suddenly had the distinct feeling that something was terrible wrong.  
  
The night was still and silent in the Kyoto manor. There was low giggling and blankets shuffling. Two dark figures were the only ones in a large room decorated in red with flames painted upon the walls. A large futon sat in the middle of the room, upon which two people were moving in a set motion. One had shining auburn hair that usually was held in a set bun, but now hung loose around her shoulders. The other was a dark man with burn marks all over his body. A large amount of bandaged lay discarded next to the futon and heavy, ragged breathing could be heard from under the covers. The woman rose up from the futon and cried out quite suddenly, but the man beneath her covered her mouth and smiled mischievously. She put her hand over his and smiled apologetically before rising from the futon and placing a plain pink kimono over her nude figure. Shishio grinned darkly and allowed her to step out for some air. Yumi walked outside, feeling quite exhilarated, and breathed in the cool night air after awhile of finding her way through the labyrinth. She stretched out, inhaling deeply, thinking of Lord Shishio. She smiled as she sat down on a tree stump, her fingers curled delicately beneath her chin, smiling blissfully. Suddenly, a pair of rough hands grabbed her. Actually, one was clapped over her mouth, and an arm snaked around her waist. Yumi struggled valiantly, but in the end was carried off. For a moment, she managed to shake the hand from her mouth. "LORD SHISHIO!" she shrieked, so that even from their room, where Shishio rested, he could hear her. 


	2. Sai & Lai

Remember, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, and ~this~ means thoughts  
  
Kenshin sat bolt upright. He just knew something was wrong. He crept down the hall, then, and opened Kaoru's door, but her room was empty. Kenshin bit his lip, but made no assumptions. Instead, he went to Yahiko's room. "Hey Yahiko...Yahiko wake up..." Kenshin shook the snoring Yahiko's shoulder. Yahiko merely grunted and rolled over. ~Ugh...there's no waking him up, is there? Unless he's hungry, he's asleep. That not very good, that it isn't...~ thought Kenshin, somewhat irritably. He walked outside, but Kaoru wasn't there either. "Miss Kaoru?" he called as loudly as he dared (people tended to be rather grouchy when you woke them up at this hour). He walked out into the street, where he met a tiny kitten that was crying loudly, and a fallen cup of water. Two sets of footprints that ended abruptly, too. ~Miss Kaoru!~  
  
Shishio sat up on the futon, threw a deep purple kimono around himself, even without his bandages, and rushed through the labyrinth. He eventually came outside to find evidence of a slight struggle, and no sign of Yumi. Shishio snarled and woke everyone in the manor. They were to form a search party for Yumi. However, they could not find Yumi. It was then that Shishio decided to set out and find Yumi for himself. He began by searching the whole of Kyoto, and questioning every adult in it, too. However, to no avail. All were spooked by the burned man and didn't know anyway. After fruitless searching, Shishio returned home and bandaged himself clumsily, as it was usually a task taken up by Yumi. He trusted nobody else as much as she. Shishio presently left the city after his days of searching there. He began searching the many smaller cities and villages around it, but the same results always came of it: none. He could find no trace of Yumi; neither hide nor hair. After a week or two, there was only one city and a village left close enough to Kyoto that Yumi could be in. These were Tokyo, and a small, unnamed village with a lot of shrubbery and few people. Well, Shishio went for Tokyo first. He scoured the whole city, and guess who he encountered?  
  
Kenshin was panicking...until he nearly fell asleep standing up. Then he decided that he'd be doing no good to Kaoru by falling asleep out there. Kenshin slept fitfully the rest of that night, cooked a hurried breakfast for Yahiko (Sano was out of town and Megumi was eating with Gensai and the girls). Yahiko asked what was with Kenshin, and Kenshin told him that Kaoru was missing. Yahiko wanted to go find her, but Kenshin told him to stay here and look after the dojo. Sano was coming back later that day, and he'd stay too; Yahiko'd tell him to, as he'd undoubtedly stop by. Kenshin went out and searched everywhere that day, both Tokyo and a few other villages. He couldn't find one soul who knew of Kaoru's whereabouts, although Kaoru seemed to be friends with more people than he thought, because almost everybody he asked knew her personally, including one young man who was especially concerned (and conceited) and said that he hoped Kaoru would not be hurt before she admitted her feelings for him. This annoyed Kenshin very slightly (~Am I jealous?~ he thought), as Kaoru'd never mentioned this guy before. He doubted very much whether Kaoru had any feelings towards this guy, but thanked him all the same. By the time he left the house, a vein was popping in his forehead. Still, there was no information about Kaoru. The area of Kenshin's searching expanded and expanded, but still, no word of Kaoru. By this time, a week or two into her disappearance, he knew that she must be in trouble, for otherwise she would have at least written to them. At last, Kenshin accepted a temporary defeat. There was one more village somewhat near Tokyo that he hadn't searched, but he was so tired out that he could go not farther than home. As Kenshin rested at the dojo a few days, he regained his strength rapidly. He also received word of another woman being kidnapped: Yumi Komagata, Shishio's lover. Kenshin took this as a coincidence, and did not wish to find information about her before Kaoru. He figured Shishio was searching well enough for Yumi; the last battle between Shishio and Kenshin had ended with Kenshin as the victor, but barely, and he refused to slay Shishio. Kenshin took up his search once more, and began to head towards that village. ~Miss Kaoru must be there...I really hope she's there...~  
  
On his travels, Kenshin met Shishio. The encounter had been tensed, but both agreed on a momentary truce as they headed towards the small nameless village, both sure that both their loves were there. As they drew closer to the place where Kaoru and Yumi must be, they were greeted by kindly villagers that told them (or rather Kenshin, as they avoided Shishio, saying that he bore a striking resemblance to the god of torture) of a strange totem pole that had been erected north of the village. The two men thanked the villagers (once again...rather, Kenshin did) and headed north. The weather was even colder up there, with more biting winds and thicker snow. Quite suddenly, as though it sprang from the ground, though surely it couldn't have, a giant, thick wooden totem pole was before them. Elaborate designs were cut into it, and a ring of water surrounded it. This was not wide; it could easily be jumped. Near the base of the pole her secured two unconscious women...one with shining auburn hair that fell upon her shoulders, and a small, reddish-pink flower lightly held in her slender fingers. The other was a raven-haired girl, younger, whose hair had come out of its braid and fell down around her face and body, her white sleeping kimono falling a bit from her shoulders, pale and thin. As Kenshin and Shishio each went to grab their loves and lovers, they were knocked backwards by an electric shock the moment they touched the girls. Laughter sounded quite suddenly from above. Both angry men looked up to see twin girls. They were really quite beautiful, one with black hair piled atop her head, another with hair like Yumi's, but Kaoru's hair color. They flashed brilliant smiles down at the men, stretching out, their tight kimonos stretching along with them, green eyes flashing. "Hello!" "Don't bother doing that." "Because our force field repels a lover's touch." "But by all means...try again." The twins had identical voices; smooth and silky, but also full of youth and energy. They grinned down at the seething pair. "Oh, by the way..." "Our names are" "Sai" "And Lai" "So then..." "Buh-bye!" called Lai, and they giggled and everything disappeared, totem poll and all.  
  
(It's really short, but I don't feel like writing anymore. I'm sorry. I'll try to make it longer next time! And next time will come sooner if you PLEASE review. Thankers! ^_^ Oh, and please don't miss the next chapter, The Partnership!) 


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